What’s curious is that the article seems taken aback by the discovery that Vietnamese coffee might not be the richest coffee in the world, as recent statistics show that 88 per cent of the coffee rejected on the world market was from Vietnam. “The biggest loss, however, was the prestige of Vietnamese coffee in international market,” the deputy chairman of Vietnam coffee production is quoted in the article.

Hello? The world’s leader at dumping $0.40/lb C-grade robusta beans on the market? Beans so foul that Sara Lee literally has to steam clean them to “remove the burnt rubber taste” — just to make them palatable? Perhaps they’re only smoking, not drinking, the stuff over there.UPDATE: March 31, 2007
In today’s breaking news, the Vietnam Coffee and Cocoa Association admitted that Vietnamese coffees were often short of world standards: Vietnam coffee short of world standards, admits industry – Vietnam latest news – Thanh Nien Daily. In other breaking news today, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa noted that traffic congestion can sometimes be a problem for many of L.A.’s commuters.

2 Responses to “Viet Nam News: Coffee quality drops off alarmingly”

[…] How this green coffee extract works to help you lose weight is actually a bit scary. According to the press release: “Ingredients in the Robusta green coffee bean inhibit the uptake of glucose in the intestines, regulating metabolism and resulting in weight loss over a period of 60 days.” In short, chemical compounds found in a cheap coffee varietal, traded on the commodities market by gross ton (instead of by the pound), put your body into a mild diabetic state. Dexatrim latte, anyone? […]

[…] the low-grade coffee that Vietnam came to symbolize, that did not prevent delusions of grandeur. One of these delusions is now facing a harsh reality check, after eight years and $50 million of […]